County
Northampton
Occupation
State Senator - Pennsylvania General Assembly
Education
Bachelor's and master's degrees from Villanova University cum laude
Rising costs have hurt hard working families. Government must first tighten our belt. I have introduced bills to shrink the size of the legislature, to help families cover rising utility costs and to support efforts with making their homes more efficient. I continue to challenge our reliance on local property taxes to fund our schools, which has a disproportionally negative impact on fixed-income seniors, working families & school districts. With one of the highest gas taxes in the Country, I proposed suspending the gas tax for 60 days to help working families with current surge in price. I have also proposed a “back to school” supplies sales tax holiday, something many other states do, to provide teachers & families with some relief.
For years I have led efforts to improve our elections by pushing to allow Independents to vote in our taxpayer funded primaries, give Pennsylvanians a direct voice through ballot initiatives, and update the mail-in voting law. I authored the bill that brought no excuse mail-in balloting to Pennsylvania, but we need to standardize the rules for items like drop boxes, dating ballots and allowing spouses to drop off ballots. With the shortage of poll workers, I put in a bill to allow for poll workers to be appointed, as opposed to being elected so Counties aren’t rushing around last minute to fill vacancies. Elections need to be secure, convenient and encourage participation.
I introduced legislation to require a Two-Year State Budget Cycle. We have had four consecutive late budgets, the dysfunction is hurting working families, school districts, non-profits & local governments that rely on predictable funding from the state. A two-year cycle with effective budgetary reviews would provide more stability & certainty for the people and groups that rely on state funding.
Pennsylvania has the largest full-time legislature in the nation. Fewer legislators would reduce overall cost & create a more efficient legislature to help address some of the reasons budgets get delayed & legislation stalls. Less members means less people to appease with backroom deals. My plan proposes cutting the House to 101 & the Senate 38
I introduced a package of bills just on data centers which would require data centers to cover the full cost of the infrastructure they need without passing along those costs to residential & small businesses customers. It also gives municipalities clear authority to regulate zoning & to provide for a community benefits agreement, like a host fee, so municipalities that want to have a data center get additional dollars to deal with the impacts. We have used host fees for developments like casinos & landfills for decades with much benefit to the host communities.
I do not believe state action should weaken local control under the MPC. It should strengthen it by giving communities clear, enforceable tools to manage this growth responsibly.
County
Northampton
Occupation
Charitable Fundraiser
Education
Doctor of Education - Temple University; Master of Divinity - Princeton Theological Seminary; Bachelor's Degree - Asbury University
Qualifications
Director of 28-person team directing $1B to hunger relief, housing, addiction recovery & education. Former Democrat & United Steelworker. PA native, 10th-generation American & 2nd-gen from immigrant roots. Pastor, author, leadership degrees, dozens of articles and presentations. Two term pledge.
Our issues are the economy, affordability, and government that too often puts Pennsylvanians last. We need: 1) Stronger Economy: real growth, tax relief for working families, seniors, and businesses, cut red tape, and root out government waste, fraud, and abuse. We can bring manufacturing back, support local farms, and become a magnet for investment in our workers and job seekers. 2) PA Energy: control PA’s natural gas, coal, lumber and nuclear power, don't let New York, New Jersey or D.C. Fight for pro-production policies that streamline permits for responsible drilling, invest in pipelines and grids that keep power affordable, and block regional mandates that make rates soar. 3) Citizens First in voting, benefits, policing, everything.
Northampton County admitted that every machine switched votes in 2023, and although the County Administrator resigned, the process didn’t change. (Lehigh Valley Live 11/24/23) We need to ensure that every eligible voter can cast a ballot, and address concerns about security, delays, and loopholes that erode confidence. I support clear, common-sense fixes like photo ID that are free to qualified voters. These changes are about making sure every legitimate vote counts quickly, accurately, and fairly so we all know the system works.
Pennsylvania families balance budgets daily, yet professional politicians don’t. Governor Shapiro and legislators must agree to no new spending beyond current revenue. They fund too much waste, fraud, and abuse in our government programs.
In my job, I cut spending by 35% while doubling gift income. Our State government can too. I negotiate with many people each year to raise the $200 million dollars my team provides each year at The Salvation Army through smart listening, tough negotiations, and turning good intentions into food, shelter and long-term recovery.
Pennsylvanians deserve to keep more of what they earn. Responsible budgeting controls spending, protects essentials, and keeps PA competitive. Let’s get it done!
There are three main problems with data centers: They suck up water, require great amounts of energy, and take precious land where local residents don’t want them. Some politicians are totally against data centers for those reasons, but they provide critical infrastructure for our economy, future growth, jobs, and national security.
State government is in the best position to write and enforce laws that require data centers to use closed-system cooling and provide their own electricity that gives to the grid. On the other hand, local communities are in a much better place to establish ordinances about land use, with support from Harrisburg.
